


The Dragons of Gremgor

by sikily



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Evak - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Yousana, and i swear there are more relationships, but i can't tag and reveal them bc of attempt at plot oops, but we can all agree evak and yousana are endgame so, how does one use ao3 i'm sorry, literally everybody from skam probably shows up at some point i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-13 13:48:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11186412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sikily/pseuds/sikily
Summary: Roses are sometimes red,Violets are sometimes blue,Evak's very much in love,But now there's Dragons too.I swear this is not crack. Please believe me. It's fantasy <3





	1. Prologue: Of Worlds and Wars

**Author's Note:**

> Isak, forced on a "quest," as the taller boy had so joyously called it, learns to rekindle the little ounce of magic he believed in so faithfully when he was just a wide-eyed little boy. 
> 
> The first chapter is the prologue, important for world-building, but not critical to the story. But I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a shot :) 
> 
> [You can always come back for reference in the future anyways]

His name was Isak Valtersen.  
And the neighborhood kids were terrified of him. Sometimes, when they see the six year old boy skipping down the street towards the school gates, they would chase him away, backpack straps gripped tightly in their little hands as they crowed and laughed.

Isak wasn’t allowed to go to school, but it wasn't uncommon to spot him by the academy windows, legs folded beneath him as he fidgeted with his fingers. He'd answer the teacher's questions beneath his breath, and more often than not, he'd be hoping others to ask questions that he had. Isak liked understanding things; he liked learning and asking questions. Most of all, he liked when the teacher would talk about how their world worked. Like how pogweet could stop bleeding because it clogs up the wound (that was in passing, and Isak wasn't sure whether that really was part of their lesson on grammar), or how everything had a life, and that meant it breathed and understood and felt. Isak thought that although the teacher, Mr. Frederick, mocked Efrin's old time tales, a lot of what he taught seamlessly played itself into those stories as well, as if science - as the teacher called it, were merely just another version of the magical tales Efrin enacted.

Transfixed, Isak always had the most fun at the academy (other than campfire tales with Efrin, of course).

But the children around his age remembered what happened. How 4 year old Isak had joyfully, albeit clumsily, joined the other children on their trek to the academy on the first day of school. They hadn't forgotten the genuinely confused expression on the boy's face as he had inquired about what a pence was. How Isak had shaken his head and said he didn't have the teacher's pay for the day's lesson. Their teacher had walked up to the little boy to ask for the day’s pay the next day, and the boy had replied that he, still, didn't have any.

It hadn’t taken the children long to learn that Isak never had a pence, and walked along the streets of Gremgor with nothing but a wide smile and empty pockets.

Isak was odd, and difference wasn't something young children could appreciate when all they wanted was to fit in. "Isak's a bad influence," their parents whispered behind closed doors. Isak didn't understand their jokes, didn't know what it was like to work on the farms, and didn't play the same games as they did. It didn't take long for good humored jokes to turn into mocking ones.

"Isak's a snobby little goody two shoes," some kids would snicker. "Always kissing the elders' bottoms."  
Others learned of his family through their parents' gossip, frightened as they passed along word about the boy's more risky adventures.  
"That Isak is ill-behaved. He only gets himself in trouble!"  
And yet not a single soul ever seemed to consider that all their arguments presented such opposing ideas of the boy.  
One thing they all had in common though, regardless of old or young, was the disconnect they felt with those wondrous, always curious green eyes, shining as bright as the stars.  
Maybe it was all rooted in a fear of something in Isak they didn't understand: spontaneity in a world of modesty.  
Ytairn of the Common, where peasants galore resided, living day by day with their heads down and their hands busy.

And so they mocked him, excluded him from their games. It came to no surprise that children found him an easy target, as Isak never fought back.

Isak, who had a big smile and a big heart, each of which he held stretched over a heart shaped face, and right there on his sleeve. It almost seemed like he didn't even understand the mocking, the ridiculing. He lived in his own little world, where fear didn't exist.  
He would sit there on days of the full moon- alone and parent-less- and listen with rapt attention as the elders told their stories.  
Even when all the other children shrunk back into their parents’ embrace, startled by the horror in the stories regardless of the many times they’ve heard the same story repeated, Isak would do nothing but shake his head firmly, a little frown on his sweet face.  
The other children also knew that Isak skittered around the borders, playing with the giants and sometimes even going as far as the edges of the dark forest.  
Had he no rules? No discipline at all? But word was going around that he had no parents, that his mother and father hadn’t wanted him. The most outrageous rumors were being spread along the town, but smiley, innocent little Isak didn’t realize that as much as he got free cookies from the neighborhood housewives because of his shining smile, it was also due to a pity- maybe even guilt as the housewives knew they were gossiping about a child.

Secretly, still, they called the family lazy- good for nothing losers that sat around, ate, and retreated back to their beds for some exercise before bedtime. They were a family living on the court's post-storm welfare, for the descendants of brave soldiers that fought for the king when the Dragons had invaded. Many young men and women had perished in the war against the dragons, and it was only by a thread that the Noble family won, with the help of the magic-users. So happy was the king that on the day, he expressed his grief for the fallen, and established a welfare grant to raise the young of the fighters, to ensure that not for a single day of their life would they have to worry about their income. As a reward for their brave loved ones, he had said.

Isak was a descendant, with both his parents sacrificed in the war, and his Auntie Britt and Uncle Eirik, a young unemployed, completely unrelated couple, had taken the child in ... as well as the court's grant, of course.

The elders though, didn’t seem to share the same views as the gossipy villagers . The measly three always greeted the boy fondly, and gave the mop of golden blond hair on his head a ruffle.

Sometimes, the other kids hated Isak because he looked like an angel.  
He was all big smiles and no fear, but in truth, he was half the size of all the other kids his age. He had delicate features and full cheeks that puffed up three times their size, especially when he was gobbling up those extra cookies.

“Mmmmmfffffffrrrr” Isak hobbled over to a tall, white-haired man as soon as he felt those serious eyes on him. Clear emerald green eyes peered innocently up through thick lashes, full cheeks ruddy and looking so darn adorable that for a moment, the elder forgot why he had been giving Isak those disapproving looks.  
“You know I said to eat slowly, and only one at a time.” He shook his head, a long finger poking at Isak’s cute button nose. His name was Efrin, just plain old Efrin who grew up with no parents, who fought in the war with the dragons and lost a leg. He was Efrin, 105 years old and the eldest elder of this village.  
He was also Efrin, little Isak’s best friend.  
And as Isak's favourite person in the world, was also the town's best storyteller.

Tonight, for example, was his stage. The moon hung low and bright above them, and Isak reckoned it looked much like a banana. His tummy grumbled as the village families settled around the clearing in town square. Isak always came early when it was a story night. Efrin had told him earlier that today, they were going to tell the story of how Gremgor came to be, and although that story was curiously long and eventful in itself, Isak knew that Efrin would always be tempted to finish off with the forbidden tale of the great Storm.  
And if there were anything that fascinated Isak more, it would be the tale of the beautiful creatures that brought the human world to ruins.

Efrin's raspy voice was enchanting in the calm of the night, and lively in a way that brought the audience in with the rising and falling of his voice.  
“The world as we know it… our world, had only been very recently rebuilt. To the ground my world was burnt, with us beneath it. My mother and father and sister and brother knew not of the ruined plains, of the Great North, of the Wildlands. There was no Yterra of the Lords, or Ytairn of the Common. Before my family died, our world was one. Like it once was in the beginning of time.”  
The little twinkle in Efrin's eyes, as wise as it were playful, tickled the children's curiosity, awe and wonder brightening their little faces. “The world was once whole – condensed and in harmony, all the elements taking their places respectively.  
But then the elements started gathering, forming creatures the land had yet to see. Mother Earth witnessed the birth of her children – and her ultimate freeloaders. It started with the Godlords, bits and pieces of herself filling up the sky with stars, helping her with managing her own earthly duties. And then the fiery rocks of her core separated from her as well ... forming a fiery centre, hungry for any bit of the Earthly elements Mother Earth had kept protected from being devoured. Mother Earth was selfless – the fiery core would renew all and give it all back to her, as it had come from her whole after all, but she didn't want to take her gifts from her children.”

Efrin's quiet voice brought upon a mysterious note that reeled all the children, and even the adults in, even though this wouldn't be the first time they've listened to this story. But not a single person was not on the edge of their seats, the children on the ends of their parents laps.

“Then came the elements – joining in teams, harmonizing in duos, and becoming the creatures of this land. The 5 elemente that Mother Earth loved like no other - Fire, Earth, Water, Air and tiny, beautiful, solid speckles of Magic.”

With a snap of his fingers, Efrin brought upon an icy spark of light, illuminating the faces looking on oh so intently.

"Of the elements' creation, first came the giants, mostly earth with few speckles of magic, barely holding together the pieces of their soul. With speckles so few, little memories could be held in between its stitches.

Around the same time came the critters, and the early animals as we know of today. They were easy to form, single speckles of magic with little memory, in combination with little parts of other elements. These animals developed and gave way to the later animals we see today, but their magic was little, merely enough for them to form and live, but not enough to grant knowledge of their world to the extent we have been allowed in on the secrets.

Giants - the poor, terribly large creatures were like puppets on strings, unthinkingly dumb and easily manipulated by the creatures to later conquer the Earth. But then again, if they were as clever as their swing was mighty, and their power galore, the earth before them would tremble, and we would have yet more battles for king. And of these first Mudmen came the humans - little mudmen with far lesser power, but just a teensy bit more magic, but but that wasn't till eons upon eons later. But just so you little ones know," Efrin pinched Laila's cute little button nose and smiled at her grin.

"Don't ever mock the Giants for their brains, because if they hold nothing else dear, they hold their pact with us as close to their hearts as possible. They rose to guard our perimeters out of loyalty when no other creature cared."  
Isak giggled, a little fist raised high in the air. Efrin's eyes filled to the brim with fondness as he nodded at the boy.

"And they give the best piggy back rides!"

It was no secret that Isak meddled with the Giants along the ouskirts of the village, but the parents gasped all the same, covering their children's ears with their hands as if that could take back what Isak has suggested.  
"Indeed, it seems our little Isak has befriended the gentlest soul of all the creatures that roam this land - the ones that will never intentionally harm us."

The older kids scoffed. It was also a running joke amongst the children of the village - that in Efrin's eyes, little Isak could do no wrong.

Isak seemed to take note of none of that, clambering forward on unsteady legs to pull on Efrin's long cloak. The old man chuckled, as if nothing amused him more, and with a strength greater than his age suggested, hauled the little child onto his thin shoulder. Isak whooped, and bent down to press a wet kiss to Efrin's cheek.  
"And now, onto darker times... the parting. The splitting of Mother Earth's heart from her.

But one day, from Mother Earth's core, a small crackle became loud explosions, and the wittiest of the Giants noted a scream – like a child leaving their mother, sharp and piercing, and it startled even the fiercest of Giant warriors. They took their positions next to their respective mountains, each steadying themselves as Mother Earth tried to calm them with gentle vibrations in her Earth. The animals shook with the ground, frightened and vulnerable. Many died.  
Everything changed that day. The Giants could feel the echoing of their footsteps deep into their mother's core, felt the emptiness of the earth on which they stood.

The fire core was no more.

Mother Earth had allowed for her element child, Fire, to spread to her core, and in its ambition, the fire spread and spread, taking over her core. And although her center burned, Mother Earth was lenient with them staying in place. Until, of course, her fiery core burned through the Earth around it, and Mother Earth was forced to separate her Earth from her fiery core to protect those existing on Earth's surface.

It is believed that her core had screamed in anguish, flaming arms reaching for contact with their Mother. But she had had enough with their ambition,; she punished flaming earth with isolation. Those reaching limbs became longer and longer, silently reaching for their mother, until they too, came into contact with their sister, magic. Magic brought life to the fiery tentacles, and they became the great serpents of the core.

To this day, they are redeeming their mother's favours. Do you know what their jobs are, kiddies?”  
Many kids shrunk back into their parents embraces, as if saying the serpents names will call them upon their loved ones.  
“We call them souleaters, death-bringers, but truly, they are the 'Wards.' The Wards must balance their ambitions with their love for their mother. Flames, fire, they burn and they kill. The Wards are always hungry for death, and legend goes, every single one of our souls are tagged by a Ward as soon as we are born. The Ward watches patiently, waiting for our soul, of magic and memories, to become trapped in an expired body. And it is then that the Ward searches for you, engulfing you in its green flames as soon as it meets you, burning your body to ashes, and releasing your soul. Oh boy, are they eager to come onto Earth to eat, for that is the only time they are allowed out of the core. With its dark lips, it unlocks the magical stitches holding together your memories, and devours all the experiences you've ever had. The Wards do not dwindle in magic, however, and instead, gifts the magic back to their mother, always trying to make amends for their first betrayal. And like that, the Serpents are the Wards of the core, trapping souls, pulling them apart, and returning what belongs to Mother Earth back to her.

Now, you kiddies might think that they are weak. That they only have flames, and don't use magic. But what these demons can do, is use their knowledge on you. Each serpent has devoured billions upon billions of memories, of experiences, and it is believed that there is nothing they cannot do, nothing they cannot master. So if I were you, I wouldn't challenge the all-knowing.”

The opposite of fire, has always been water, and so the Lykies came next. With water and magic, these boundless, free-flowing creatures started to swim through seas, and crawl across land. The Lykies are fluid monsters, clear as can be, and trapping sea organisms inside their clear pockets as a cruel little joke. Many times, they chuckle amongst themselves as they  let their many limbs curl around the animal, frankly allowing the animal to suffocate on air, surrounded by a wall of water.  
Shape shifting Lykies are known to be shiftier only in their behaviour, naughty monsters that are always looking for mischief. They are known to take on forms of beautiful maidens, always with dark indigo hair, and stealing the voices of birds flying over their home. Then, they sing and lure humans to their death, suffocating in their watery embrace, fluid limbs coiled tightly over gargling mouths.  
The Lykies are cruel, and tricksters, but they very rarely travel far from their home – usually a large pool of water, or ice pond.

Their cruel mischief however, was a completely different brand from the mischievous nature of the next creatures to appear – the Sprites, from air and magic. The sprites have no concept of relationships, for they see themselves as only one. They do not understand how one would form connections. They are unfeeling for others.  
But it is believed that they had formed almost an admiration for the gentle Giants. To this day, many sprites still take the form of humans, attempting to integrate into our world. Sprites are weather directors, controlling our every day weather in their daily, secret meetings. They are true in their non-alliance, always standing on their own and never taking a side. They do their jobs - for they do take joy in that - but they know not of war and power. They usually mean no harm, of course unless you count their practical jokes on humans - little dabbles of love affairs here, and breaking up relationships there. It seems that human relationships fascinate them, for they never can fully understand them. Do you remember the stage plays you watch? They take pleasure in being actors like the characters on stage, but amongst real human people instead.

The Elves are next, and still, to this day, rare. For what the Giants lacked in intelligence, the elves brought Wisdom thousand times more. They are the only creature we know of, that is capable of balancing three elements within them – magic, air and water. It is believed they are mostly magic, with pinches of each water and air, as their connection to the elements are rarely strong, with them tending towards handling magic. Other than humans and dragons, elves are the only species that frequents the use of magic.

They are removed, distant, and usually not fond of contact with anybody but their own. However, it has always been said that they can tell of the future, and thus, like the Serpents, they have earned themselves the title of the “All-knowing.”

“Last, but certainly not least, came the all-powerful Dragons, seemingly reluctant at all to form, even though they would ultimately become the most powerful of our land. They were forged of pure magic – and lots of it, as seen by their sheer size and majestic armour. They are the only creatures to be of only one element, and the most purest of all – magic. But they didn't seem to want to be ... as if they knew that their arrival would bring forth a darker, darker era.

Creatures became jealous of each other, as if Mother Earth was being biased in her gifts, and these innocent creatures seemed to harm the balance once so perfect. Jealousy brings out the worst, and the ugliest. Even in the perfect ethereal Dragons.”

"Fearing the ugly jealousy rearing its head, Mother Earth plucked stars from her heavens and forged the Starbonds, offering them to the cleverest of her most defenceless children - humans. The Starbonds were the only thing strong enough to defy magic. Those that knew the secret to using the Starbonds would later becomes magicians, wizards and other magic using sorcerers. Mother Earth did not intend for humans to practice magic, but her most defenceless children would become greedy and use her gifts to gain advantage over the other creatures. When they turned their back on her warnings of a darker era, they had also taken on all the other creatures. The massacre of human magic users softened Mother Earth, and she confined most of her more vicious children back into the Northern lands, where magic originated, and left us Gremgor, few magic users and even fewer Starbonds to protect ourselves. She had thought that finally, we'd all be at peace."

Efrin's voice grew solemn, the age of the wrinkled lines of his face more pronounced by pale moonlight.

"Even with Mother Earth's gratuity, we knew not how to take care of her in return. We carried on on our merry own, forgetting about her over time. So much so that we do not even know if she tried to warn us of the coming disaster. The Storm came as a surprise.

We do not know what caused the Dragons to awaken and to seek vengeance upon us, but all I can say is that our loans were long overdue. This world was a world leant to us, and we never returned anything to it. We were the ones in debt.

One morning I awoke to screaming, and fire and death. Great swarming dragons flew over our villages, setting everything afire. Dragons of beautiful colours - Pink and Yellow and Olive, and they brought death in brilliant flames of orange and red and gold. Gremgor was magical indeed. It was where unicorns were bred, and where magicians used to practice. It's also where the Dragons almost massacred every single living thing. With a single roar, a fire so great burned villages to their core.”


	2. Curiosity Killed the Cat's ...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a boy always looking for adventure, Isak had finally found it. A beautiful dragon that rivaled no other, a wizard and even knights!  
> But yet, a bone-deep tiredness took over, and the boy was sleeping.
> 
> Snuggly, if he may say so himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so, so sorry. 2k became 4k became 8k.   
> And we meet a super duper important character this chapter ;) 
> 
> *p.s. There was a time jump. Isak is now 10.

Curiosity killed the cat, they say.

"Meow!!!"

"MEOW!!"

"Meowr!!!"

Isak thought he must have let out the world's most frustrated little boy huff as he circled the lazy kitten on crouched legs, hopping from foot to foot in hopes of arousing any sort of interest from the newest arrival in their little town.  
But alas, the wee one - and this is speaking for the both of them, simply flopped onto the ground oh-so-attractively, one a ball of the fluff, and the other, mostly a mass of golden curls.

"Well, well, well, there must be a boy's face hidden somewhere in there!"

Isak looked up lazily from his blob on the ground, already recognizing the voice.

"Hello Auntie!"

"What are you doing over there on the ground, Isak?"

"Cheesecurl doesn't want to play, so I'm sunbathing with him."

The ginger cat finally let out a meow-yowl, looking rather cross for a sleepy cat.

"That's Charles, Isak." The trader shook his head, shooting Isak's auntie a pointed look. "Britt, Isak shouldn't be disturbing my merchandise."

Britt shuffled her shoulder. "Then you try getting rid of him. I'm telling you, one day you have that... furry creature here, Isak will be here to bother you..."

"Why don't you just purchase the kitten, for Starlord's sake??? He's pure from Yterra, and has wonderfully soft hair."  
Isak lifted his head with the sweetest smile he could muster.

"And feed another useless chump? No, that 10 year old eats enough for the lot of us."

The trader, Nik, looked over at Isak, startled at the harshness of her words in the presence of the child, but let out a sigh when the child merely pouted and turned his eyes back onto the cat.  
Britt shifted a hand through her favourite cowhide purse, bringing out a large coin purse. She never left the house without this purse, ever since she bought it off Nik last winter.

“Nervermind that Nik, what perfumes do you have in today from Yterra?”

~

Isak never bored of playing with the Charles the Cat, but trader Nik had ushered him off with a promise that Isak could go ‘round to his hostel and pick up the cat for walks every day if he would leave his stall alone.

And Isak had to attend to his very busy schedule today anyways, which included having to visit his friends, the Giants.

The Giants never talked much, always preferring to focus all their attention on the border between Gremgor and the Northlands.

With fingerlike projections of icy plain, the Northlands cut into the Gremgor borders like a hand reaching out for its next prey. The stark contrast in temperate from either side of the border fascinated Isak. Sometimes he could step on the Gremgor side and feel uncomfortable with the heat, but once he set foot on the side of the Northlands, he’d feel a chill shoot up his leg and along his spine.

One of the Giants would pluck Isak from the Northland side every time they caught him, two fingers gentle on his hips, and it’s becoming a sort-of common thing where they would just relocate him to their shoulder, just so he could watch the Northlands with them.

Being this far away from the Northlands core, Isak could sometimes spot odd creatures, frogs with coats of pure hide, humming butterflies and legless bird-fish, but never anything dangerous. Even the most innocent of creatures were viciously chased back into the Northlands by the Giants.

The Giants didn’t have names, and if they did, the grunts were a language Isak had difficulty interpreting, so he had taken it upon himself to give them nicknames.

Today, he was on Gregor’s shoulder. Gregor wasn’t someone that frequently got to guard the frontlines, as he tended to be a bit more clumsy on his feet, and backup was a waste of his height and strength, so he was generally a chaser. His looming height was intimidating to most creatures, and he swung a mean bat.

Gregor lingered back with the rest of the Chasers, cross eyed as he looked at Isak, who was hanging off his face from a few tufts of moustache hair. He prodded Isak’s bottom with a gentle index finger, grunting in (almost delighted) surprise when Isak scurried off onto the other end of his moustache.

The golden haired boy was surprisingly nimble, swinging from end to end as Gregor’s index finger followed. Isak let out a tinny giggle every time the Giant caught him with a prod.

Amused, the other Chasers had started to gather, seemingly enjoying Isak and Gregor’s game themselves.  
The crowd quickly scattered when a loud horn sounded, the chief’s signal that someone was coming. Two blows in succession usually indicated non-danger, and the addition of one more blow indicated official.

True to his calls, Isak saw the beginnings of a band of Knights head their way over from the distance. If it weren’t for the grunts of the giants during the game, Isak would have had no difficulty noticing the knights coming near, for they made no secret of their march.

A band of at least 50 people were traveling in an oval formation, the outer circle being a ring of soldiers sweating buckets in thick, layered tunics, equipped with their silver spears and bronze shields. The inner circle was a wall of blinding, chic chainmail, protecting the titled Knights. Protected by both these circles, right there in the core, was a single Wizard. Demeanor meek, and looking very thoroughly frightened, the wizard had donned an ashy grey tunic that looked far too long on his short frame, dusting the ground he was walking upon. On his head was the traditional Wizard’s headpiece, a pointed hat awarded by the King to the wizards that served the court. His hat was crooked though, and he didn’t seem to embody the slogan Isak heard the soldiers chanted when parading the villages: “Serve proud and brave.”

“Attention friends of the border!” A knight – Sir Jude Percival – stepped forward with a scroll in his hand, the parchment finely made and letters printed neatly on its surface. “By King Vidar's order, we are to pass the border into the Northlands for the capture of a known fugitive to the court.”

The Chief Giant barely blinked. They rarely cared when one was crossing from Gremgor to Northlands, for anybody stupid enough to do so was willingly seeking out death. It wasn’t uncommon for lower peasants to cross the borders in hopes of coming across an exotic plant or pet to sell.

Few ever made it back, and those that do go right to their wit’s end in attempting to trick the Giants into letting the Northland products get through the border, but it is rare that flipping the person upside down and stripping them naked doesn’t reveal anything hidden.

The group seemed to be waiting for acknowledgement, but the Giant merely walked back over to his tower, unfazed.  
Isak had never seen such a large band of soldiers together, much less the young wizard leading the pack, albeit a little gloomy looking in his dirty robes.

It was more of a split decision thing, but Isak as always, decided that he must take it upon himself to investigate these strangers. Besides, he’s never seen magic before (other than Efrin’s little tricks), and he couldn’t possibly be in any trouble with this large a pack of strong soldiers around, right?

He patted Gregor gently on the neck, and dropped onto a cupped palm before being delivered to the ground. A resounding smooch was landed on the Giant’s thumb before Isak scampered off, heading towards the dark forest nearest to the perimeter.

He heard the scuffle of the Giants behind him as soon as he stepped foot over the border, and he made sure to smile at them and point at the retreating backs of the soldiers and knights. Gregor, in particular, looked as if he were moving forward for Isak, but another Giant – Fauna – set her hand on his shoulder, as if reminding him that this wasn’t his job anymore. Lingering on the border could be problem, as Isak had done so so many times before, but if he were to willingly head into the Northlands, it really wasn’t their job to stop him.

By the time the boy had made it into the forest, it had seemed that that the soldiers had disappeared completely. The greenery was still sparse this near the forest’s edge, but still, Isak couldn’t catch sight of silver metal or orange-red shields. So Isak trekked on alone, heart beating loudly in his ears from excitement more than fear.  
He was still alone when his eyes started to get heavy, eyelids drooping as the boy attempted to push forward, legs sluggishly in tow. Slowly, Isak tilted his head to look down at his legs, confusedly feeling as if they were moving to their own accord, disconnected from the rest of his body.

For a second, he had completely forgotten about the soldiers he had been trying to quietly follow, instead letting out a string of loud yawns, each deeper than the last. And suddenly, laying down for an afternoon just seemed like… such a… good … idea.

He smiled dazedly down at the little blue flowers curling underneath his feet and around him in a blue-violet field, and he vaguely heard the rickety laugh of Efrin in his ears.

“Bluebells are pretty, aren’t they? But don’t you go wandering off into a field of them, boy, because Bluebells are the flowers of enchantment, and walking through a field of them might…”

“Okay Efrin, enough story. Isak wants to … nap…” Isak mumbled out loud in reply to Efrin’s words, an occurrence that happened more often than not when he was sitting on Efrin’s lap for story night.

Unknowingly having already dropped onto hands and knees, Isak crawled on over to a comfortable looking leaf pile before collapsing onto his back. He snuggled in, letting out one last yawn before his eyes fluttered closed.  
“One nap,” he whispered to himself.

Eyes adorned by long fluttering lashes startled open just as the gentle clink of metal cut through the thick fog in his mind, and although the thought of the knights and his quest jolted his mind awake a little bit, the heaviness of his tired mind dragged out all his movements. He flipped onto his front, eyes so unfocused it took him several minutes to locate the gleaming silver spearheads and faces, just beyond a clearing and small pond.

It seemed that the group had finally settled, quieting even their breaths as they watched.  
Isak’s hazed mind thought for a second that they were looking at him, but mostly hidden, he refocused to see the tiny floating nest in the pond.

The pond was barely larger than the oval formation Isak had seen the group in earlier, and the water sparkled invitingly in the distance.

Isak snuggled deeper in the pile, small body hidden amongst the large trees, and the relaxing mid afternoon sun keeping him surprisingly warm in the Northlands. He was comfortably lingering on the line right between consciousness and sleep.  
Far too comfortable, Isak only looked out to the nest with one eye open, childishly thinking that he would rest one eye at a time.

The large nest wasn’t well camouflaged at all, a haphazard mess of twigs and leaves and sticks, floating innocently in a pond of clear blue.

But then again, it would have been difficult to hide the brightly coloured eggs laying quietly within the nest. Isak thought they looked oddly similar to his play balls, with so many contrasting bright colours.  
Isak rubbed a tired eye, finding it difficult to look away from the pretty eggs.  
There were a total of 5 eggs, the largest an impeccable solid raven black, two eggs each of a shade of purple (violet and lilac), a brightly orange and yellowed spotted one, and lastly, the tiniest palm sized egg was of a fiery red. They looked smooth to the touch, and were all seemingly sunbathing out in the open, glimmering so prettily the flowers were meek in comparison.  
A rustle.  
Finally, another rustle hit Isak’s ears from the eerily silent large group. Isak kind of wanted to shush them, as watching these pretty eggs seemed strangely intimate, as if Isak were peeking into the home of another family. Isak wondered what amazing bird would have eggs of this beautiful variation in colour.

But before Isak could do anything, something else quieted them.  
A loud screech sounded from overhead, and a great noise resembling the flapping of an eagle’s long wings. Accompanying these sounds was a great wind that lifted the leaves from around Isak, and covered him again so gently that it almost seemed intentional.

Of course it couldn’t be.

As he was hidden inside the pile, Isak could only briefly catch a glimpse of the long silver body, cruising gracefully between the trees, before growing larger and larger and larger as it neared the ground.  
Isak heard a snarl, but strangely could not bring himself to fear the newcomer. Curiosity won, and he peeked gingerly up from the pile just in time to see the creature swoop low to catch the nest between lips, the nest lifted up into the sky as the dragon flew from the pond and over to the clearing.

She gently placed the nest upon the ground, lovingly nudging each egg before settling herself over the nest.  
And holy smokes, Isak’s tired eyes couldn’t possible be deceiving him, for that was definitely a-  
“Dragon! Now is your chance to surrender to the court of King Vidar.” The wizard had called out shakily, apparently still trying to convince himself that he was not scared.

“O-or you shall not be captured gently!”

The Dragon snorted, slitted yellow eyes flashing such a dark black that they seemed only pupil.  
Isak’s eyes were wide as he watched the exchange, hardly able to take his eyes off the majestic creature and its clear, glassy scales.

The beautiful creature didn’t even spare the wizard a reaction, lips curling at the end as smoke bellowed from its snout, and forked tongue flicking out in challenge.  
Her jaw opened, eyes narrowing as a loud yawn left her lips. Accompanying the loud yawn was a string of fire, lazily flicking at the wizard shaking in front of her, and setting the sleeve of his robe afire.

~

It didn't seem like anybody was keen to confront the dragon after that, not even the Knights that always stood proud in their armour. The Dragons had been banned by the King for a reason, the immortal creatures enslaved if captured and bound by the Starbonds.

Startled, the novice Wizard had put out the fire by rolling on the ground rather than the summoning of a water spell.  
The dragon, in all its glorious fury, had not advanced any more, merely sitting defensively upon her nest, unwilling to part from the eggs. But the knights had backed up into their earlier bushes, hesitant to further anger the creature. A few seemed keen to formulate a plan with the wizard, but he crowded with the rest of them, eyes alert.  
If one lazy yawn could bring about a string of fire to set ablaze his sleeve over distance of 15 metres, nobody was keen on finding out what an actual attack would look like.

Isak hadn't expected the staredown, and an off part of him found the lazy yawn rather endearing. But regardless of the flutters Isak felt in his belly from seeing a creature he's only heard stories about, he stayed rooted in place, head dozy and limbs heavier still.

He watched and he watched and he watched, with half shut lids and a bated breath, expecting yet for confrontation as he had seen earlier. He wondered briefly that if he had to, would he help the dragon or the brave knights of the court?  
He hung onto this excitement for so long, forcing it to overtake the drowsiness in his veins from earlier. With all his effort, he tried to keep his mind awake, his eyes alert.

Still he watched, patiently, for him, to be honest, but his breaths soon turned deep and long, eyelashes fluttering gently against his cheeks.

For a boy always looking for adventure, he had finally found it. A beautiful dragon that rivalled no other, a wizard and even knights!

But yet, a bone-deep tiredness took over, and the boy was sleeping.

Snuggly, if he may say so himself.

~

When Isak had awoken again, dusk had fallen, and he was cold in the pile of scattered leaves. The chill of the night led a shiver down his back, and it took him only a moment of confusion before he whipped his head up to look over at the nest.  
The knights have gone, he thinks, as he sees the stillness of the greenery once his eyes adjust. No rustling of chainmail, or tired limbs rearranging itself. But so has the Dragon, he realizes with dissapointment.

But the nest remains, innocent and vulnerable in the night. Isak didn't think it was quite safe for the eggs to be by themselves, and he looked this way and that for the mother dragon, and yet caught not a single glimpse of her. Could it be possible that she had been captured by the Knights? That couldn't be, right? If they did, their simple cheers would have woken Isak up!

He deliberated upon his options. One, stay here (and possibly get eaten), so nope.

Two, take the eggs and go hide them just in case the mothet has been captured. But what if she comes back and does not see her eggs? Besides, if the mother had been caught, wouldn't the eggs be taken in as well?

Third, hiding the eggs from harmful predators for now.

Short little legs scampered on over to the nest, careful to avoid the bluebells. Isak sneakily took a few looks over his shoulder, making sure to listen carefully for the flapping of wings, or the light reflected by pale moonlight hitting those silver scales.

Leaning forward, the boy reached out a hand to land on the black egg, surprised at the warmth beneath his fingers, like life itself thrummed under his fingertips. The smooth looking surface was rough, prickly like sandpaper. The eggs were so pretty, so stagnant yet its colours seemed bursting with life. The boy jumped when the red egg rolled away from under his fingertips, nestling in next to the lilac one quietly as if that hadn't happend at all. He follwed the egg with his fingers, intrigued, and felt his lips curve into a smile as the red egg vibrated and squirmed from side to side, much alike Isak when he was tickled.

He allowed himself a giggle, gleefully patting the goofy red egg before resuming his earlier mission. Isak bent down to collect some leaves off the ground. Scattering them atop the nest, and carefully observing his handiwork as soon as he was done. Not the best he's ever done at hiding something, but he didn't want to move the nest just in case the mother came back and couldn't find her nest anymore.

When Isak got back to the border, the Giants didn't seem very surprised. But then, they never really did. Isak knew the drill.   
He saw the flicker of acknowledgement in their eyes, but still remained still at the border with his legs spread shoulder length apart, and arms spread straight out his sides.

The routine check was faster than expected, and Isak was well on his way into the village when he started hearing chats as he walked about in front the houses.

Walls were thin, and gossip was the only topic everybody shared an interest in in this small village.

"Oh, the knights are staying at the inn!" He heard a young voice squeal. "Guess they are not leaving so early after all!"

"Do you think they'll be around long enough to find a lover?"

"I hear they are just passing by here to get to the borders into the North. To capture a beast!"

"Yeah," Isak recognized the husky, scratchy voice of Madame Reem, the owner of the local joint/bar/pub. She crouched lower into the group of little old ladies before her. "Tom, one of the more rowdy of the bunch, said something about a terribly hideous fire breathing creature. It had large bulging eyes, a row of teeth sharper than knives, rough dirty leathery skin and had carried a terrible attitude too. He said the creature tried to sear them cooked to eat them!"   
Isak thought back to the magestic wings, the sparkly silver scales and the dragon sitting alone atop her nest, protecting her eggs. He shook his head, and continued in his way home.

With aching limbs, he stretched out on his bed, hoping with all his might that he does not wake up tomorrow morning realizing this had all been a dream (it wouldn't be the first time he dreamed of dragons, to be honest).

~

Isak woke up the next morning with enthusiasm. He bid each his uncle and his auntie good morning before stuffing his pancake in his mouth, and stuffing a few more into a hankerchief he ultimately stuck into his pocket.  
He needed to go check on those eggs.

When he arrived inside the same clearing, this time straying as far away from bluebells as he could, he realized he was not alone.

There were glimmering silver suits, albeit less elaborate than yesterday's, and heads peeked out occasionally to check the eggs.

Now in the daylight, Isak realized he hadn't been very good at hiding the eggs at all. The colours peeked out from beneath the leaves, and shone under the sun. Hopefully, this meant that the mother dragon had come by to check up on the eggs.  
The eggs were okay. They had survived the night, he thought. It should be time to go.  
But he couldn't get himself to stand up and walk away. An unsettling feeling nagged at him as he glanced upon the nest once more. Maybe he would just stay and make sure the eggs are okay until the mommy dragon comes back.  
Isak could be a good babysitter.

The dragon did not come back that day. Isak had sifted through all the leaves on the ground around him and piled them into groups depending on their softness, the afternoon sun had climbed into its highest point, and the nest was still calmly sitting there, alone.

The knights had taken turns napping, but Isak was bursting with energy, making sure to glance over at the nest every few minutes to make sure it was okay.

When the sun started to set, it seemed almost like the mother wasn't coming back at all, and Isak wondered whether she only liked to appear at night. The knights had retired for their supper, and although Isak tried to push back home time as late as possible, he was catching only the last few rays of sunlight, and he knew he needed to pick his way back out of the forest. He laid leaves on the nest once again, before hurrying on his way.

~

The dragon had not been back for 5 days already. Isak knew because Isak was counting. Giddy to possibly see the birth of some baby dragons, and worrying for them all the same, Isak had been returning to the spot every day, babysitting the little eggs as if they were his own siblings. He spotted the knights every day as well, always no more than 3 knights on guard at once.

Isak knew he should be more worried, but it had become some sort of habit for him to babysit the eggs every day, and he wasn't sure he would like the idea of the dragon coming back and taking the eggs with her. The eggs had started to respond to his touch at night, sometimes a thumping sounded, and other times, the eggs moved around their nest silently. Isak never dared to go up during the daytime, lest the knights learn that they too could freely touch the eggs.

They had always stayed in their position, never moving forward to touch the eggs, as if afraid that the dragon would appear suddenly as it had last time when the wizard moved forward towards the nest.

It wasn't until the 6th day that Isak saw the wizard again.

Bright and early on the 6th day of Isak's dragon egg babysitting adventures, he walked into a crowd in the town square. The usual hustle and bustle of an early day, the smell of fresh fruit and baked bread was replaced by the smell of sweat and meaty broth - and also a gathering of all the strong young men of their village.

Dressed this time in a too-long, pale pink robe, a dusty rose, the wizard stood atop the balcony of the town square building, hands clasped before him on the balcony gate. His long raven hair laid softly down his back, tucked behind his ears. And this close up, Isak could finally see that the tired face was only hiding a very young face. He looked barely over 25, lips full and pink, pulled into a half-grin, and eyes a shade of vibrant violet.

The crowd looked admiringly up at the wizard waving down at them, his pointed hat firm on his head. He called for their silence, the knight beside him letting out a loud blow of his horn.

The crowd needed no intruction, quickly zipping their mouths shut to stare at him with rapt attention. Up ahead, closer to the balcony, Isak could see the mop of curly red hair belonging to his Auntie Britt.

Ah, so that was why she had been clashing around this morning, attempting to comb through her thick auburn curls as she applied make up and dressed up. She had ended up half-assing all of those things, leaving the house disgruntled and unkempt and even without her expensive purse for the first time in years.

"Hear Ye Hear Ye, In the name of our King, I, Eivind, the warrior wizard, has been summoned here today to call upon our loyal and brave friends of Vienn, Gremgor, to stand against the grave dangers facing our land. A creature of mighty strength, five times our height and looking more giant than animal, has challenged our people. She is strong, and large, but stupid. With the might of our strongest warriors, and our knights, we have captured her!"  
Admist the cheering, Isak could feel his head spinning. Is this why the mother could not return to her eggs? Like Isak's mother who was killed and could never return to him?

"For days now, we have deliberated. The people of Vienn were kind to us, sweet to us, made us feel homely in a place not our home. And the good people of Vienn deserve to live well amongst the richest and most powerful of us. But we know not of how to covince the King to see the same. We thought then that for you to accomplish a deed for the king would be the best, and the head of this creature is what he wishes to see most. We have thought of a way. Come with us, brave men and women of Vienn, and provide your support when we enter the dark forest to rid her of her spawn. Bear witness to our conquest, and give us your strength.Together, we shall collect these eggs, and present it, with the creature's head, to our king! We shall welcome the honour and rewards together!Riches and women and men and property, good food and good wine! Join us as friends to the Dark Forest, but return with us to Yterra as heroes!"

All around Isak, the crowd cheered, throwing their arms around each other in congratulations. Finally, they will be out of their poor, farming days. It was a good deal, certainly. The beast was already caught and all that is left are poor, defenseless eggs. All they must do was travel with the pack of strong knights, and provide assistance. And even if they were getting the hard jobs, what difficulty could collecting the eggs be when the beast is already captured?

Doing nothing and getting to mingle with the Lords? And rewards? There was not a single eye in the crowd not twinkling with excitement. All except for Isak, eyes blown wide with grief, and Efrin, usually always keen on an adventure, was shaking his head.

"A hero earns his name."He muttered from time to time. "You are not a victor if it were not you that fought the battle."  
"Come with us, ladies of Vienn. And return home with the same weight in gold as your husbands, brothers and fathers."  
Isak had never heard louder cheering in the little town of Vienn.

"And now we shall feast! Get our bellies full for the day ahead!"

Eyes wet with frightened tears, Isak forced himself to swallow back the sob. Why hurt something that has yet to even see the world? These were Isak's friends!

With a resolute brush of his eyes, Isak turned around to head back to his home.  
He must rescue those eggs before they're gone.  
~  
Isak must say, this was the closest he'll ever get to being as fast as the wind. He slowed down as he neared the Borders, giants in sight already. He painted on his smile as professionally as possible.  
He had hardly got him a glance, to be honest,

When Isak gently padded along the trailbetween bluebells in the direction of the nest, he was trying his best to keep an eye out for a knight, wishing with all his might that everybody was stil at the brunch meeting.

The moment the eggs warmed to his touch, Isak knew he had not made the wrong decision. He had to be quick now, or his plan wouldn't work. One by one, the eggs went into a cloth bag, and Isak tied it around his waist, the eggs nestled by his stomach.

In his haste, he didn't catch a glimpse of the silver of chainmail reflecting off the morning sun.

~

"Are we really going to these lengths to thank them for their hospitality?" A young Knight by the name of Andreas asked the wizard as they neared their room to prepare the weapons.

The wizard let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. "I thought only those country bumpkins would be stupid enough to believe that speech. Of course not! The mother of dragons wakes as soon as any dragon eggs are in danger. She has disappeared ever since our victory in the Storm and enslaved all dragons. The king will understand if we cannot capture her, but as long as we return with the eggs..."

The knight nodded, shifty grin on his face.

"When the dragon arrives, push those measly villagers before you, and grab the eggs. If they cannot kill the dragon, then they can die while we escape. Pass the word along. Make sure all the knights except Percival knows of our plan."

~

When Isak was ready to meet the giants and get back to the village, the eggs had been transferred to a large purse, and all 5 had been painted white. He hoped it could pass for 5 large chicken eggs if his plan failed.

Sitting nervously behind the trees at he end of the forest, Isak lingered along the edge of the forest, waiting.

When the large group finally does arrive, the sun was high in the sky, and Isak was growing restless with nerves.

Heading the large group of a good a few hundred (mostly villagers) was the wizard, Eivind. Long raven hair pulled back into a ponytail, and grim, tired expression back on his face. It seemed that his charismatic presentation in the town hall had taken a toll on him, and he seemed more tattered in his pink robes. His clear violet eyes were clever and alert, a contrast to his appearance.

The large group hustled about noisily, excitement in the air. As the wizard passed Isak hidden in the trees nearby, Isak easily neared the group and mixed in with the chaos of the large crowd. They spoke over each other, stumbling in the tight knit group. Isak pushed forward, going in the opposite direction of the crowd.

“Boy! This is not for young lads like you!” He heard a call, and a few disgruntled voices also added in their own jabs at his age.

“Goin' home now, don't worry!” He answered his Auntie, who was towards the end of the crowd, with the other women. He pushed past her, shooting her the briefest smile as he ran towards the border.

His arms were open wide and expecting the pat down the Giants usually gave him when he exited the Northlands.  
Isak was barely two steps past the border when he looked back to the large group, the ends of the group still making their way past the clearing towards the forest fringes.

“Auntie Britt!” Isak called crisply over the crowd's chats. “You dropped your bag!”

His auntie looked back over her shoulder, surprise in her expression. Her favourite daily purse, the small delicate thing usually only able to hold no more than a few books, laid dirty on the ground just beyond the group.

“Oh, dear! I had been so caught up, I didn't even remember bringing along my purse this morning.” She picked the purse off the ground, brushing gently at the dirty bottom.

“I can bring it-?” Isak started, immediately cut off by the other ladies that joined his auntie.

“Dear Starlord, Britt! You didn't even notice your purse fell!”

“It's not safe to bring it into the forest. You know Goblins favour gold, do you not?”

“My, how easily would you lose it in the forest?”

“Why don't you bring it home first? And then come back?”

And have you reap the rewards? Britt thought. Only those present would be getting a reward for helping the wizard fetch the eggs after all. Even better would be if she could get her own hands on an egg, so that she may present it herself with her husband. The king may even learn of their names!

“Auntie! Auntie! Isak can bring it home for you!” Isak smiled, cheerfully raising his hands to wave at her from the border.   
“Isak! Come here!” Isak gave the Giant patting him down, Anders, a quick smile, before shooting forward to where his Auntie stood just beyond the border.

She gave him a pat and handed him the bag. “Straight home. No dwindling around where the street rats can take it from your hands.”

“Yes Auntie!”

From the corner of his eye, Isak could see the Giant watching the exchange, watching as his auntie took the bag off her shoulders, all along having been in the giants' eye view, and passed it to his hands.

He set the straps upon his shoulder, giggling as he walked the few steps back past the border, not slowing at all as he approached the Giants. A tiny little relieved sigh left Isak's lips as he made it past the Giants, Anders seemingly believing that the bag has not once left his supervision.  
Isak tucked the purse closer to his side.

~

“What do you mean the eggs are gone?” Eivind thundered, having showed up at the pond with the large gathering trailing behind him.

The lower knight cowered in fear of Eivind's furious tone, a shake in his voice. “Sir Eivind! It was a boy, he came and collected all the eggs in his pouch!”

“And it never occurred to you to grab him by the collar and bring him to me? And you decided you would wait here stupidly instead of coming to find me?”

“W-well, I t-thought we never supposed to near the nest, and what if he set a trap-?”

“And for what reason would I have you idiots watching the nest then-?”

“You said She awakens if her eggs are touched, and dragons can take any form, and I wasn't sure whether the boy was-”  
:Enough!” Eivind roared, glancing at the villagers behind him, oblivious to his plan. He silenced the knight with a glare. “Do not speak a single word.”

The knight shook his head, dazed, secretly glad it didn't need to come out that he had spent the last several hours hesitantly cowering in their spot, afraid that if the Dragon, not being the boy, arrived, she would find him, and yet not being able to leave his post either, in fear of Eivind's punishment.

“It seems we have a thief amongst the villagers! One that would like to claim the rewards all by himself! A selfish, rogue one!” Eivind called out to the villagers, the furious edge not leaving his voice. “We have been generous with you, because of your hospitality and kindness, and yet this is how you repay us?”

Heads shook in confusion, all the villagers speaking over each other in defence.

“Silence!” Eivind snapped, stomping angrily to the edge of the pond where the nest was fully in view. Fingers dancing nimbly, he conjured up an orb of red light, whisps of orange sparkles within.

The fiery orb descended onto the nest, bringing the twigs to life, dancing within the orb and mingling with the sparkles of magic.

“If you would still like your reward, when I recall the memories of the nest, you must tell me if you recognize the thief.”  
The orb slowly cleared, the twigs dropping out of the orb back onto the ground, and the red fading to a pink before taking the form of a clear orb of fluid water, a reflection upon it.

The crowd watched, speechlessly, as a little boy of hardly 10 scampered about around the nest, before gingerly picking up the eggs and putting it within a cloth bag.

“Isak!” Britt and Eirik blurted out at once, eyes wide in disbelief.

“You know this boy?”

All the villagers nodded sharply, all speaking out at once.

“Britt's boy!”

“I saw him running off this morning after the announcement at the town hall!”

“That boy has always been strange-”

“Who knew he was a thief too?”

“Quiet.” Eivind said calmly. “Come forward.”

Britt and Eirik quietly sidestepped the crowd to stand before Eivind with their heads bowed.

“This is your boy?”

Britt looked up, eyes asking for permission to speak. Eivind nodded briefly.

“We adopted him when he was a mere toddler. But he wouldn't-”

“And yet he did. You shall not defend him any further if you would not like to be grouped in with him as part of the plan to steal the eggs.”

Britt immediately shut up, stepping back to stand side by side with Eirik.

“He does not deserve the reward we all deserve! One bad pea does not-” Another man cut in on the silence, stopping himself when Eivind silenced him with a hand.

“No, he does not.”

“Shall we go collect him from their home, Sir?” A knight, Percival, asked, the bravest of all the knights there that day. Sir Percival, true of heart, they used to call him.

“No. He is but a child. Everyone return to their homes. Do not mention to him that we have figured him out. Let him happily spend the night. Tomorrow, together with you all,” Eivind nodded at the group circling him, “We shall bring him with the eggs and present all to the King. He will be punished accordingly by the King.”  
The group departed on a confused, but firm note.

They would still be getting their rewards, but they must not utter a word, lest the boy run, taking advantage of the kindness of the wizard.

~

“Go send a letter to the king. We need more soldiers and knights by tomorrow morning. Have them depart as soon as the letter arrives.” Eivind's cold voice was directed at Percival.

“He is but a child. We mustn't be too harsh on him.” The young man responded, a small frown on his face.

“A mere child would not be able to touch the dragon eggs and not have the mother of dragons rip him into shreds.” Eivind snapped back, hand dismissively waving in the air. “Do as I say Percival. Now. Immediately.”

~

Isak awoke to a coughing fit.

Still groggy, he refused to open his eyes for a good two, three minutes. But the air felt heavy in his nose, and scratched at his throat.

When he opened his eyes, the darkness was blurry with smoke. Was this a fire?

The farm near the outskirts of the village had burned down last summer when Mr. Arne had forgotten to put out his fireplace before bed, and the fire caught his sheep rug. Isak remembered Mr. Arne running out screaming, his arms bloodied and burned from him pulling his little 5 year old daughter, Frieda, out from burning cinders.

He remembered sitting with Frieda when they took her father to the town physician. He hadn't heard from the family after that, as apparentlt they left Vienn to go live with Mr. Arnes sister.

Isak remembered why. It was because the fire had destroyed everything they had.

Chest burning, Isak finally realized the dangers he was in, and quickly rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. He hugged his pillow to his chest, running out of the room amidst the bright flames licking at the walls.

There was thrashing in his Auntie and Uncle's room. When Isak found them, they were wildly throwing about their posessions, throwing gold and jewelry and silver into the bags they had clutched to their shoulder.

"Auntie! Uncle!"

The couple whipped their head up from their bags, startled only for a second before fury took over.

"You," his auntie snarled, "it's all because of you!" A badly aimed candleholder came flying by Isak's head.

"What's wrong? Why is there a fire?"

"I knew we shouldn't have brought in a strange child like you. You've become a thief!" His uncle Eirik growled, hands resuming picking through his stuff.

"We have to go! If we don't go-"  
Britt slapped the hand that had reached out for her arm, glaring furiously at the boy. "If you hadn't been a greedy little boy and stole those eggs, we wouldn't be in this situation."

Isak stepped back in shock, his eyes wide and jaw dropped before hacking coughs awoke him from the surprise.  
"How did-"

From the large window in his aunt's room, Isak could catch a glimpse of flaming arrows being aimed at their house. Beyond the shooters, a tall figure stood in soft violet robes and a pointed hat.

"We have to go!" He yelled at the two adults hastily adding more treasures to their bags. The closet crashed to the ground and broke into flames. An arrow shattered the glass, and set their bedside table ablaze.

"The attic! I saved my mother's gold necklaces in the attic!"

The two clambered up creaking steps as Isak ran to the kitchen, and then the dining room. Every window, every single window had shown arrows being aimed at their house.

There was no escape. They were surrounded.

The front door had already been engulfed in flames, taller than even Isak's Auntie and Uncle. He cried out in anguish, tears wetting his eyes and threatening to fall.

"Shhh. Shhhh..."

Isak hitched a breath as the flames directly before him flickered a bright blue before turning back red.

"Walk through..."

Everything was loud in this house, burning and crashing and breaking, but this voice, clear and bright, could be heard above all even though it was a whisper.

"Walk through..."

The blue flames flickered again in invitation.

And Isak took a chance.

The blue flames were not hot. Instead, for the first time tonight, Isak felt cool. He could feel the sweat dripping down his neck and forehead dry in the coolness.

Isak kept walking, and found himself outside their house, blue still engulfing him.

"Now drop to the ground and roll around. And scream."

As fascinated as Isak was by the cool blue flames, he immediately followed the calming voice. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the arrows stopping, and everybody staring at him burning.

"Now RUN!!!"

And Isak sure ran. As soon as he got back up onto his feet, he was running as fast as he could, not paying heed to the arrows being shot at him after a startled pause, and being eaten up by the blue flames still surrounding him. He could hear shouting behind him, knights and soldiers getting into action, but he continued running for all it was worth. The voice was now quiet.

In time, the blue flames were dying the further Isak got from the burning house, and in the darkness, Isak was almost completely hidden. He ran and ran until he saw the ends of a similar blue flame in the alleyway, and it died as soon as he turned in.

"The savior of the dragon eggs, I presume?"

It was the same voice from before, now chipper and bright. "And gosh darn, if you aren't the cutest little savior I've ever seen."

Isak looked up, arms protectively circling his waist, where a cloth was wrapped tight.

One hand extended to Isak, as if the stranger were asking for a handshake, but the hand merely snapped its fingers, and a pale green light shot up the length of the arm to illuminate a face.

A freckled cheek of a young man, with auburn hair cropped close to his head. His eyes were a kindly blue, twinkling in the green light. His robes were a fine silky blue, embroidered extravagantly with jewels of rose pink and gold. Necklaces adorned his neck, and rings around several of his fingers.

Isak dropped to his knees, exhausted from the event already, and tears pouring out his eyes.

"Please help us escape! Please, Mr. Wizard! Please help Isak, and Auntie Britt and Uncle Eirik! Everything is on fire at home!" 

Tears were gushing out uncontrollably now, and Isak brought up a sleeve to wipe his nose on.

"Shh shhh... it's alright! I've got you." The tall wizard drew Isak into his embrace, patting the boy on the back gently.

"We must hurry, Isak...? For me to use my magic for you, you must promise me something, Isak. Only then can I magic you away to safety."

"Anything, please! I can do anything! I'm scared! Also Auntie Britt and Uncle Eirik are still in the house!"

The wizard's hands trailed down Isak's side and landed on the protruding bumps of the pouch on his waist. "I'm going to have to ask you to give me the dragon eggs."

Isak instinctively pushed the hand away, jumping back in horror. Why does everybody want to take the eggs from the dragon?

"No, no no no!"

"You promised, Isak!"

"No! I'm not going to give you the eggs! I'm looking for their mommy!"

"Isak... Isak... you must give me the eggs. You can't protect them!"

The taller man extended a hand to grab Isak around the waist, using his other hand to untie the knot. Isak's hands fluttered about, pinching and trying to push the hands off of him.

"No! Please, don't do this!" Tiny hands grasp at the pouch being tugged from his waist, feeling the eggs' warmth part from his waist, and suddenly feeling way colder. "Don't!"

A stampede behind them sounds, horse hooves loud against the stone ground.

"Isak! They are coming. We must get on with the spell!"

"No! I don't want to anymore!" Isak grabs the other end of the makeshift pouch and tugs.

It happened before either of them could react. The cracking of the pretty orange egg slipping out of the pouch and falling to the ground, the bright orange mist spreading through the air. Isak startled, and then froze in shock.

The Wizard recovered first, taking advantage of Isak's shock to pull the pouch into the bag on his shoulder. He waved purple petals beneath Isak's nose, quickly catching the boy as he fell over, unconscious.

He placed a hand gently over the boy's eyes, a softness tugging at his belly at the sweet smile on Isak's face. To Isak's forehead, he placed a gentle kiss.

"Be good. I will meet you soon."

Speckles of blue and purple danced on the tips of his fingers, illuminating Isak's face.

The glow spread, ungulfing Isak in purplish-blue light, and when the light faded, Isak was gone.

"Hold there! Declare yourself and why you are out so late!"

"Eskild Tryggvason. I am traveling from Preious. I have just reached here and am looking for a hostel."

"Have you seen this boy?"

Eskild looked up into the parchment the Knight held high over his head like a commandment from the King himself. The pretty green eyes, the cute wide, toothy smile, and the name Isak Valtersen etched clearly in red.

"No, sir, I have not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you super duper much if you are still hangin' on here hahahaa! 
> 
> We're introduced to Even and some of his friends next chapter (and actual dialogue lmao). And grown up Isak! 
> 
> Thank you so much to everybody giving my fic a chance <3

**Author's Note:**

> Oh shoot, I hope I didn't mix anything up in the format. 
> 
> Ah I really needed to hype myself up to post this. Not edited, as I'd never get this up if I were to dwindle any more lol
> 
> I love fantasy and I love Skam, so this idea has been nagging at me for a while.   
> I apologize for any mistakes ^^ 
> 
> I'll be posting up the first chapter in a day or two, probably.  
> Please feel free to shoot me an ask on tumblr or something if you have any questions or at any point :) 
> 
> (ao3 is so confusing :/)


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